What Happened When A Bunch Of Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl

First, viewers are introduced to a gaggle of adorable little Italian kids, ranging from 7 to 12 years old.

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The children are asked by the filmmaker what they want to be when they grow up.

Their answers vary:

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And why they want to be those things.

Then the boys are introduced to Martina, who captures all of their hearts. She charms the boys — they all exclaim how much they love her hair and her smile. One even wants to know if he can be her boyfriend.

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The filmmaker encourages the boys to make funny faces at Martina to try to make her laugh. Then he tells them to caress her (with the language barrier, this was more like giving a friendly hug).

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Then the video took a turn.

"Slap her!" the boys were told. The boys were silent in their reactions. The filmmaker pushed them.

"Come on!"

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Then, one by one, they all decide the same thing.

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Citing many reasons:

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And then there was perhaps the sweetest answer:

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The social experiment was created to show that both violence and pacifism could be taught at a young age.